Wildfrost Reviews

Really good game that I highly recommend, but I also strongly suggest watching a video on the mechanics. Even if you are a veteran of deck builders, I still suggest it. This is a great game with a ton of depth that is super unique in how it handles the game play, but this same strength can make it obtuse initially, even for someone who understands the genre. For me it was particularly because I know the genre, because I was trying to apply my existing knowledge, that I bounced off Wildfrost twice. Finally, I watched a short video on the gameplay, had a bunch of ohhhhh moments, and proceeded to love my third go round, having fun and having great success. Now, it sits in the top tier of the genre for me, where so many friends told me it belonged, because I "got" the core mechanics that make it so unique and fun.

Strong core gameplay loop, unique visual style that pops, fun and interesting take on the genre, elements of a story lurking beneath the surface to enhance the experience. This game has all the makings for a fun roguelike experience, and is one I definitely recommend.

I played this game based on a friends reco after wanting to scratch my Slay the Spire itch and finding Monster Train, Dicey Dungeons and others, didn't quite do it. This hit the SPOT. It's a roguelike deck builder, with a very cute art style. It's deck/handheld friendly controls make it easy to pick up and play. When I first played the game, it was early in their release and it was much more difficult. (personally, I love the challenge!) But subsequently they've made the game more approachable with a longer learning ramp. If you want to think more, fear not, they've added "bells", mutators that up the difficulty of the game. Recommend this game highly and I hope they make a sequel!

Incredible roguelike cardgame, the most prominent and interesting part is that whenever you finish a run by winning, your deck gets taken over by the enemy and saved for next time when you reach that point. This makes the same strategy difficult and its better to mix it up as different things are countered/beaten based off of over time or pressure. The game is very rewarding and satisfying once you crack the code

Don't be put off by reviews saying this is impossibly hard. To me, it is just slightly more difficult than slay the Spire, because one mistake truly can cost you the run sometimes. But even in those circumstances, it is 100% your fault and you can learn from that. The enemies do not feel cheap or OP to me, and a majority of the time I can make an OP deck that can top the one I won with last run. Honestly though, the art style is my favorite part. It's SO CUTE.

At its core this game wants to be a Roguelike Deckbuilder and, to an extent, it succeeds in being one. The problem is that it is a very shallow and simple one, which is antithetical to what a game of this genre should be. Under the very polished and well maid art style, the game itself is pretty banal and the progression system is barely there at all. You unlock pretty much everything in the first few hours of the game. Overall this game made me wish it was a bit more elaborate in depth, especially around the three tribes that offer different playstyles. There should've been more cards tailored around each one with more build specific options. The general simplicity and shallowness kills the replayability in such a way that after completing a few runs with each tribes there's barely any reason to continue playing.

Pleasantly surprised after trying crappy StS copiers over and over, regularly being disappointed. Art is about perfect as long as cuteness doesn't bother you. They really killed it with the art and frankly I'm jealous. The style looks complicated and simple at the same time, yet still manages to have flavor that stands out. It's a great commitment to a just-right amount of detail. Each character obviously took a lot of work. Even the card design looks special, with its raised pieces and lighthearted creatures. The music has similar effect on how much it aids the game. The gameplay's reasonably unique and avoids the mana per turn trope essentially all card games run with. Instead each card played brings every character 1 closer to attacking and using innate abilities. Each character has different timers which can be messed with. Also a 2x3 battlefield for friendly heroes. As far as depth, games like SlayTheSpire or Roguebook have more going on. But you're still going to lose sometimes as you climb up the ascension, and it's more than enough to keep you thinking for a bit about refining your deck and taking turns correctly. A few problems: - Animations and transitions are overly slow and waste a lot of time even if they look good. Enemy variety is lacking. Runs still feel decently different due to deck archetypes, but overall there are probably not enough fun variables between runs. - Card readability could be better. It's not bad, but hp/atk don't stand out enough for interpretation of the field at a glance. I can see they probably wanted to avoid going too far and making the cards less attractive. - Grind gated grinding. You get no credit towards unlocks (cards/items/etc) before the current grind is completed. So you have to start grinds from 0 that you should have already earned. It's just adding a grind requirement before we're allowed to play the full game, and making it even more annoying than it has to. Life is short and this is a gross business practice that gets people addicted and stretches out content. Gaming is sad sometimes. Yes it's satisfying to unlock stuff, but it's obviously exploitative and wastes precious time. - Last boss/new runs mechanics SLIGHT SPOILERS: [spoiler] You fight your previous winning deck/leader each new game. Very cool, but makes next runs harder the more cohesive your team was with no way to reset it. It makes you feel bad for playing well and having a crazy deck going, or picking up that one extra accessory. I applaud the bravery of this mechanic and enjoy it... while also being annoyed by its direct contradiction to the goal of making the best deck/leader possible. [/spoiler] Absolutely worth my time, even if it seems to have less long-term stay than StS; no surprise. Great game.

Great game, I loved it - beautiful artwork, unique setting, fun game play with a unique touch to the rogue-like deck builder genre. I played it at release which I thoroughly enjoyed with some different cards and higher difficulty, and end of last year with re balancing and more content. Even though it has less depth and variety in the genre, the mechanics feel really well. It can be hard to force a certain build, but once star aligned you feel like you're unstoppable. Still, if you don't pay attention, or think the turn through, you can still get your ass whopped. The art direction and setting give a more cutesy-happy upbeat vibe which is not only done well, but gives it a more fresh look within the genre. TLDR: - Upbeat comfy art direction unique to its genre - A slightly different take on the deckbuilder roguelike genre - Difficult from the start - leaving a lot of opportunity to mess up. If you start playing it, don't give up on the first few hours, it'll get better and more rewarding over time. - Rewarding and great feeling when it is the run and plays out as you planned for - A little less variety (cards and items) and repeatability like other games within the genre. This could be a specific decision by the devs to see similar cards & items appear more often. It still offers daily challenge runs, which I personally did not use as much, but I can see the appeal for others. It is a high-recommended on my list if you like strategy roguelikes like Slay the Spire & Peglin, and hope to see more games like this.

Wildfrost is insanely streamlined and is punching way above it's apparent weight in depth. Very few game-play elements combine in interesting ways that are easy to understand. If you're having problems, [b]slow down.[/b] You can't play this one on auto-pilot. There's no fluff here, all puzzle, so pick your moves carefully. That's something to celebrate. The mountain may look unscalable, but it's not. There are [b]many paths to success[/b] each run, even on the hardest difficulty. It'll take time to understand that. Cards that seem useless aren't, you just don't see their potential yet. Stay humble, clever, and creative and you'll blow through this game and have a blast.

Actually competes with Slay the Spire for my attention when I'm in the mood for a roguelite deckbuilder, which is most of the time. Really nicely designed and well thought out from the visuals to the sound and gameplay. If you like the genre, you will like this game and put a lot of hours into it.